Stoke vs Man United Betting – United Pummel Stoke, Wait For A Favor From Wigan
Like online betting players, Manchester United will be anxiously checking out the score of the Chelsea-Wigan match, but first they’ll have to ensure they take maximum points against visiting Stoke City, who has never beat United before. United will hold up their end of the bargain, and they’ll hope that Wigan can do the same.
- What: Soccer Betting
- When: Sunday, May 9, 11:00 AM ET
- Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
- Key Stats: Man United is 3-0 all-time against Stoke City
The Storyline
Man United will need Wigan Athletic to take at least a point at Chelsea to give them a chance at their fourth straight Premiership title. Stoke will be looking to spoil the party, but they’ll also be looking for their first win against United. In fact, Stoke has never scored in three matches against the England giants.
Who Has The Edge On Offense: Stoke vs Man United Betting
Stoke has scored the second-fewest goals in the league with 33, and it seems as though the rest of the Premiership caught up to their system of living off long throw-ins from Rory Delap. Matthew Etherington is sure to attract attention from the bigger clubs, along with Ricardo Fuller and Dave Kitson, who has had words with manager Tony Pulis in the press recently. We know what their mission of the summer, especially with Kitson and probably James Beattie leaving.
The United attack has slowed down in recent weeks, but there is word that they’ll be going after a new striker after Dimitar Berbatov wasted a few chances in their 1-0 win at Sunderland last week. United never really looked like losing that game, won a goal scored by the much-improved Nani, but Berbatov has looked nothing like the player they paid over $30 million for. Wayne Rooney hasn’t scored in three games, and he’s still tied with Chelsea’s Didier Drogba for the league lead with 26.
Edge: Man United
Who Has The Edge In Defense: Stoke vs Man United Betting
Stoke has overcome the sportsbook odds to challenge for a top-10 spot because of their defense, which comes in eighth in goals allowed. They bounced back from a 7-0 rout at Chelsea to keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw at home against Everton, but the loss of goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and defender Abdoulaye Faye in the Chelsea match hurts Stoke’s chances.
United has allowed one goal in four matches since being eliminated in the Champions League by Bayern Munich, and that’s even with Rio Ferdinand being out for a couple of games through injuries. Jonny Evans has been excellent as his replacement, and United should be bolstered by the return of Owen Hargreaves, who made a cameo appearance against Sunderland.
Edge: Man United
Notable Injuries – Stoke vs Man United Betting
Sorensen (elbow) and Faye (groin) will both miss this match, barring a miracle.
Gary Neville (calf) is in a race to be fit for this match, along with Ferdinand (groin/back).
Edge: Draw
Totals – Stoke vs Man United Betting
Two of the three meetings between these two have gone under the posted total, but with Stoke’s injury woes at the back and United looking to make a statement, this could get ugly.
Edge: Over 2.5
Stoke vs Man United Betting Prediction & Outlook
United should win this one going away, as they rolled to a 5-0 win over Stoke in the visitors’ lone visit to Old Trafford last year. Look for Rooney and Nani to be particularly devastating to Stoke, who are missing their No.1 keeper and arguably their best defender, and we saw how they fared against top competition when they were lost against Chelsea. United will come away with the easy win, but they won’t get any sports betting help in London from Wigan, which will leave them settling for second.
